Joyce Moore

Welcome to our CaringBridge site for my mother Joyce Moore.We've created it to keep friends and family updated. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement during this time when it matters most.Joyce's journey started a few months ago with coughing and lack of energy and lack of appetite. After several trips to her primary doctor it was determined that she needed a chest X-ray. After the chest X-ray, she had more tests performed including a MRI. A mass was soon discovered in her chest area close to her esophagus and a bioposy performed. Three weeks later we learned from the bioposy that she has a soft tissue scaroma cancer which is very very rare. Surgery was not an option due to the location of the mass. The only option at this point was to treat it very aggressively with several rounds of chemotherapy. This was a surprise to all of us family members as Joyce had been active playing golf and walking and very healthy the last year.Joyce checked into the Clements building at UT Southwestern on December 21, 2015 for a 5 day stay and chemo drip. On December 24, 2015, Christmas Eve, she was rushed to ICU for acute respiratory failure. We later learned that the chemo has caused the mass to swell and cut off her airway and she went on full oxygen for 3 days and nights. This was a very scary time for all of us but we faithfully leaned on God with prayer to get us through those dark days. God answered our prayers and after 4 nights in the ICU, Joyce was breathing on her own again and released from ICU to oncology. Thus, her 5 days, turned into 3 weeks at the hospital and she continued to fight and get stronger. The nurses kept her busy at the hospital with breathing treatments, physical therapy and other treatments. A lot of pain resulted from the side effects of the chemo. The most pain came from sores in her mouth that make it very difficult to eat, and swallow food and medicine. This continues to be a ongoing problem. Finally, her white cell count went up and she was released to go home. The bravery and strength that God has given her and her positive spirit and faith have touched all of us and touched her nurses at the hospital. Through it all Joyce always enjoyed chatting it up with the nurses and making new friends at the hospital. Joyce shows Jesus spirit thru treating each person with love, kindness and goodness no matter what the circumstances. After all, Joyce =JOY!We humbly ask for continued support through prayer and encouragement as Joyce starts her next round - 2nd round of chemotherapy this week. Her doctor has reduced the strength of the chemo so it will be at a lower dose. We are praying for minimal side effects, strength for Joyce and wisdom for her nurses and doctors. We also pray that the mass shrinks from these treatments and lessons the pressure in her chest area. We are asking God for complete healing for Joyce!Thank you for all your support, love and encouragement dear family & friends. Your outpouring of love and friendship has meant the world to each of us!Love,Melissa Moore - Jackson (Joyce's daughter)The Moore & Jackson Family(please note at this time per doctor's orders Joyce cannot accept flowers or plants)